I Need Some Help Please and Thank you!

Question

Her Tank! any ideas   QUESTION: I just got a female betta fish just last saturday and i am really enjoying her. Everyone that sees her says that she is smaller then the ones that they have seen. But heres my question, actually question(s) when i got to the pet store and picked her out i asked for what i needed and the guy just said i could het this betta starter kit. I have been looking up more about bettas and they say that the tank should be about a gallon. Is it al right if i have half a gallon? Also is there a certain food thats better then others? I fill her tank with what i think is warm water but by morning it seems really cold what kind of small heater could i get? I'm a college student so i am on a budget as well, but i want the best for her! she is really the best. By the way is Bamboo really a good plant to put in with her? sorry to overwelm you with questions i just dont want to do anything wrong. I have sent you a picture of her home so you can see what i am working with thank you for your help! and plz plz help me more then the store clerk i think he just wanted to go home it was near closing Lol ps my desk is messy so dont mind the background and sorry the picture is blurry she's the pinkish red thingy in the corner! lol thanks once again!

ANSWER: Hi Teniya,
Cheers for doing research about bettas! You're right about them really doing better in bigger living quarters than what most petstores recommend. Although bettas can survive in cups and other small environments, they will not truly ever thrive there. This is due to pollutants that build up so quickly in a small volume of water prove very stressful for them and make them so prone to illnesses. Fluctuating water temperature is also hard on a betta's health as is water cooler than their preferred temperature range of 76-80F. Its very difficult to heat such a small volume of water without risking overheating. There really is no heater small enough for half a gallon. If you could upgrade to even a 2-3 gallon that would help. You can get tiny heaters for those size aquariums, but if all else fails, you can usually simply leave the light on the tank all the time if the temp is at risk of dropping too low. It will keep it about 80F.

Bamboo is not really a true aquatic plant and you'd be better off getting some Java moss, Java fern, or some Anacharis plants. These are all easy to care for and do well on lowlight conditions.

*~Bettas do well on a varied diet with plenty of protein but also some fiber too. A good staple I like to feed is a quality betta flake food (pellets are ok, but they can cause swim bladder disorders) supplemented a few times a week with frozen bloodworms or brine shrimp, ect... Remember to feed little and often.~*

The best thing you can do for your betta now is to make sure to keep her warm and change her water a lot. At least change half her water everyday. You'd be surprised how fast ammonia can buildup even with such a small fish! Just make sure the new replacement water is close in temp to her container and you use water conditioner every-time.

Best of luck and I hope this helps!

This has been the best website I know about bettas-
www.nippyfish.net

~Karen

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QUESTION: Thanks so much i will b taking that into consideration and the website is perfect! another quick question. it seems like some times when she swims her bum is to the air while her face is down! but other times she seems all right is that something that should worry me? i didnt think so but i wanna double check!

Answer
Hi and you're welcome!

I wouldn't think that her bum up and head down behavior is a cause for concern. I see bettas do this all the time. Usually I find out they are just "looking around" perhaps trying to get a better view of something. If she is alright otherwise I wouldn't fear its a swim bladder problem or anything so you should be fine.

The website is good! It's very up to date on betta care and explains and suggests things that are quite sensible and has info you can't really find at most other betta websites.

Best of luck as always!
Karen~